What if I told you there is a new restaurant where you can enjoy delectable food and stunning views, and it’s not in a mall, but on a beautiful tall ship? Royal Albatross is Asia’s only luxury tall ship, and it has been transformed into Albatross Island Restaurant (AIR). Anchored off Lazarus Island, the floating restaurant’s highlight is a 3-course menu created by Head Chef Inderpal Singh, winner of MasterChef Singapore 2023.
This will be Singapore’s first marine lifestyle destination, where the ship isn’t a means to get to your final destination; it is the destination.
On the day of my experience. I arrived at Marina South Pier Ferry Terminal to board an Albatross Speedboat. Other pick-up locations include Singapore Oceanarium (Resorts World Sentosa) and Siloso Beach. I really enjoyed the journey on the speedboat; it felt so exhilarating with the wind in my hair as the speedboat skimmed the open waters, while we enjoyed stunning views of the Southern Islands.
After around a 15-minute speedboat ride, we reached Albatross Island Restaurant. I felt sheer awe looking at the towering ship in person. They say a picture is worth a thousand words but the ship is far more striking than any picture can capture.
I was warmly welcomed onto the magnificent tall ship by the friendly crew. Do note that you have to take off your shoes, but you get slippers to wear, so don’t worry! After taking off my shoes, I was brought to the Upper Deck by Mr Peter Pela (CEO) and Mr Malik Aljunied (Deputy CEO). The Upper Deck has superb views of the sea and the Southern Islands in all directions… and a bar as well.
After strolling around the Upper Deck and admiring both the ship and the views, I headed down to the Main Deck, where I felt cosy with all the sofas to lounge on and the warm ambient lighting.
This furry friend here is Captain Willie, isn’t he adorable? After sufficient fawning over Captain Willie, we got started with lunch. Head Chef Inderpal Singh, winner of MasterChef Singapore 2023, did an introduction to the dishes. He shared that his goal was to create a menu undeniably Singaporean with Malay, Chinese, Indian and Peranakan influences, and boy, did he do it incredibly well!
Course 1 was a cold starter — the Hokkaido Scallop Ceviche — with soft Hokkaido scallops sitting in a pool of assam ponzu and curry leaf oil, topped with puffed rice and green mango. The delicate, clean-tasting scallop paired well with the tangy assam ponzu while the puffed rice and green mango added some crunch. This was definitely my favourite dish, and I was drinking up the assam ponzu after I finished the scallops.
For the Main Course, diners pick between 16-Hour Braised Beef Short Rib and Patagonian Toothfish. Pictured above is their Patagonian Toothfish, with its tamarind glaze, lemongrass-pickled vegetables, turmeric, makrut lime and coconut emulsion. The toothfish itself is reminiscent of butter for both its soft texture and rich buttery taste. I particularly enjoyed it paired with the glaze and vegetables, as it added an edge to the soft and moist toothfish.
This is their 16-Hour Braised Beef Short Rib. The richly flavoured braised beef is accompanied by fragrant turmeric rice, which is mixed with crisp shallots to create a burst of savoury goodness in every spoonful. The heirloom carrot is coated with bergedil rempah, creating a deliciously spiced, crunchy carrot.
Dessert was Pandan Gula Melaka Kulfi on a Stick, which is Indian ice-cream topped with burnt coconut flakes, brown butter curry leaf crumbs and sea salt, served alongside caramelised pineapple segments. It is so decadent without being cloyingly sweet, as the coconut flakes and sea salt help to neutralise the pandan gula melaka flavour.
Adult tickets cost S$113.90 and child tickets are S$89.92. The ticket includes an unlimited speedboat hop-on hop-off pass for the Southern Islands, a boarding pass to the Royal Albatross, as well as the 3-course lunch (standard or vegetarian) with free-flow soft drinks.
Would I recommend the Albatross Island Restaurant (AIR)? Definitely. It offers a dining experience unlike any other in Singapore. With exceptional MasterChef cuisine, warm hospitality and breathtaking island scenery, this is a must-try experience.
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